Canisius College

		Donna Shaffner, Dean of Admissions Hometown: Milwaukee, WI Background: Donna attended Dickinson College and graduated with a BA in Fine Arts. Donna has worked in college admissions for the past decade, with a previous background in Marketing. She is the mother of three great kids and a Golden Retriever, and is currently pursuing her M.S. in Leadership Studies. Fun Fact: Donna is an avid traveler, and along with her daughter, has gone on several missions trips to Nicaragua where they participate in sports camps for children.

		Mollie Strasser '01, MS '07, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Hometown: Williamsville, NY Local High Schools: Canisius High School, St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, Nardin Academy, Christian Central Academy Out of Area Territories: Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, Puerto Rico, Texas Background: Mollie graduated from Nardin Academy in 1997, and continued her education at Canisius College, where she graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies in 2001. She also minored in Psychology and was a member of the All-College Honors Program. Mollie received a M.S. in College Student Personnel Administration from Canisius in 2007. She began working in the Office of Admissions in August 2004. Fun Fact: Mollie would love to have a show on the Food Network!

		Mark Bunting, Director of Transfer and International Admissions Hometown: Lancaster, NY Background: Mark attended Lancaster High School and graduated in 1989. He then went on to obtain a B.A. in Communications and Business from Slippery Rock University in 1994. In 2004, Mark graduated from Buffalo State College with his M.S. in History. Mark joined the admissions team at Canisius in August 2004. Fun Fact: Mark has traveled all over the world, visiting 28 different countries!

		Michael Coad '11, Admissions Counselor Travel Territory: Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs Local High Schools: Kenmore East High School, Kenmore West High School, Mckinley High School, Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, East High School, Riverside High School, Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Hutchinson Technical High School, Math Science Technology School at Seneca, Bennett High School, Burgard High School, Emerson High School, John F. Kennedy High School, Maryvale High School, Leonardo daVinci High School, Grover Cleveland High School, Lafayette High School, Maritime Charter School, Buffalo Academy of Science and Math, Iroquois High School, Stanley G. Falk School Out of Area Territories: Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Mississippi Email: coadm@canisius.edu Hometown: Buffalo, NY Background: Michael attended Leonardo daVinci High School and graduated in 2007. He graduated from Canisius College in 2011 with a B.S. in Management and Marketing. He would like to pursue his MBA in Finance at Canisius. Michael began in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a Tour Guide in 2007 and held many different positions and tasks over the last four years. He joined the Admissions team full-time in July 2011. Fun Fact: Michael spent two weeks in El Salvador after graduation.

		Phil Ciallela ’07, Admissions Counselor Area of Specialty: Canisius Point of View Program Travel Territory: Central New York (Syracuse, NY and Binghamton, NY), Upstate New York (Albany, NY; the North Country and the Hudson Valley) Local High Schools: Orchard Park High School, Lancaster High School, Hamburg High School, Frontier High School, Lackawanna High School Out of Area Territories: Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota Email: ciallelp@canisius.edu Hometown: Lackawanna, NY Background: Phil attended Lackawanna High School and graduated in 2003. He got his B.S. in Marketing from Canisius College in 2007. After Canisius, Phil worked as a Marketing & Promotions Associate for the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, Florida helping coordinate the 2008 & 2009 FedEx Orange Bowls, along with the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship. Phil joined the Admissions Office at Canisius College in January 2011. Fun Fact: During his freshmen and sophomore years at Canisius, Phil worked as a work study in the Athletic Department at Canisius.

		Kevin Heffernan, Admissions Counselor Area of Specialty: Tour Guide Ambassador Program, The Griffin Experience, Explore Canisius Program, Social Media, The Urban Leadership and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Programs Territory: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Virginia Local High Schools: Mt. Saint Mary's High School, Sacred Heart Academy, Sweet Home High School, Cheektowaga High School, Cleveland Hill High School, Depew High School, Middle Early College High School, Oracle Charter School, West Seneca East High School, West Seneca West High School, Tapestry Charter School, City Honors High School, Bishop Timon High School Out of Area Territories: Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia Email: heffernk@canisius.edu Hometown: West Seneca, NY Background: Kevin attended Canisius High School and graduated in 2004. He got his BA from Canisius College in both International Relations and German in 2008. He is currently in the Communication and Leadership Master's Program at Canisius College. Kevin joined the office in 2010. Fun Fact: Through Canisius, Kevin has spent a summer in El Salvador, a semester in Germany, and two weeks in India.

		Jennifer Mazurkiewicz, Admissions Counselor Area of Specialty: Telecounseling Team, Prospective Student Fly-up Program Travel Territory: The Southern Tier West, Niagara County Local High Schools: Immaculata High School, Clarence High School, Alden High School, Akron High School, Grand Island High School, Tonawanda High School, The Park School Out of Area Territories: Ohio, Georgia, Arkansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Utah, Vermont, Washington Email: mazurki2@canisius.edu Hometown: Kailua, HI Background: Jennifer graduated from Kalaheo High School in 1996, and continued her education at the University at Buffalo, where she graduated with a B.A. in English in 2001. She then went on to receive her J.D. from the University at Buffalo Law School in 2005. After practicing law in Georgia, Jennifer returned to Buffalo in the winter of 2009, and began her career in Admissions. Jennifer joined the Admissions Office at Canisius College in October 2010. Fun Fact: Jennifer grew up in Hawaii and chose to move to Buffalo to attend college!

		Valerie Nugent ’05, Assistant Director Travel Territory: Rochester, NY and the Finger Lake Region of New York State Local High Schools: Williamsville North High School, Williamsville South High School, Williamsville East High School, The Buffalo Seminary, The Gow School Out of Area Territories: Hawaii, Alaska, Florida, Arizona Email: nugentv@canisius.edu Hometown: Stamford, NY Background: Valerie graduated from Stamford Central School in 2000 and then spent a year abroad as a Rotary International Exchange Student. She graduated from Canisius College in 2005 with a B.A. in Communication Studies. Valerie attended Buffalo State College where she graduated in May 2007 with a M.S. in Student Personnel Administration. Valerie began her employment in the Admissions Office at Canisius July 2007. Fun Fact: Valerie has a twin sister!

		Bill Schubring, Admissions Counselor Travel Territory: Southern Tier East, The Catskills Region of New York, Westchester and Rockland Counties, Long Island Local High Schools: St. Francis High School, Lockport High School, Amherst High School, Cardinal O'Hara High School, Eden High School, Holland High School, East Aurora High School, Mt. Mercy Academy, Baker Hall School, Holy Angels Academy, Lake Shore High School, Nichols School, North Collins High School, Springville-Griffith Institute, St. Mary's in Lancaster, South Park High School, Buffalo Traditional Out of Area Territories: Indiana, New Mexico, Delaware, Colorado, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island Email: schubriw@canisius.edu Hometown: Lockport, NY Background: Bill attended SUNY Brockport and graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in History. Prior to working at Canisius, Bill worked in the health and auto insurance fields. Bill is planning on pursuing a degree in Sports Administration at Canisius. Fun Fact: Before working at Canisius Bill coached football at Lockport High School for 3 seasons!

		Amanda Snider, Events Coordinator Email: snidera@canisius.edu Hometown: Gillett, PA Background: Amanda attended Troy Senior High School and graduated in 2003. She graduated from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY in 2007 with a B.S. in Psychology. She is currently working on her Masters Degree in Communication and Leadership at Canisius. Amanda began in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions as a graduate assistant in September 2007 and joined the Admissions team full-time in August 2008. Fun Fact: Amanda is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and goes to at least 4 games a season.

Admissions